Possibly one of the best hard SF novels I've ever read and am ever likely to read again. Jaw-dropping world-building and establishment of a living breathing future mixed with good old fashioned adventure and plenty of action. After spending the first half of the book building its incredible (and thoroughly credible - extremely important in SF for me) society, the plot takes a sudden twist that turns everything on its head. I won't give it away here, but the fantastical twist completely blew me away the first time I read this. I didn't see it coming at all.

Really blurred the lines between SF and fantasy at one point; you don't realise until much later in the trilogy that he never steps out of hard Sf.

For me, Hamilton was at the peak of his powers when he wrote this. This novel more than any other made me want to be a sci fi writer.